This is the first of a series on doing research online. Whether for personal or business use, more and more people are doing their research and basing decisions on what they find online. But some people forget that most of the time the quality of results one finds online is only as good as their skill in “finding” that kernel of knowledge. The pièce de résistance is really your ability to make an educated decision regarding how reliable your sources are. Some thoughts on online search --
“I found it online, it must be right.” Wrong. Online, one can find every opinion, theory, fact and fiction imaginable on any given subject. Check the source, and then compare as much as you can against sources or online publications that you know are reputable.
“Google is the only place to go” Contrary to popular belief, there is still something to be gained by searching in other formats or engines, depending on what you are looking for. Google may be a pretty good place to start, but you may be able to find more valuable information by focusing on a specific aspect of your search topic – for instance an industry (retail, manufacturing etc.), or location (State, Country, etc.), and then thinking of possible repositories or sites that cater to that niche. Thinking this way may save you time and effort.
To learn more about online search, try--
Berkeley
Hannon Library
If you feel like going broad with your search -- Dogpile is one “crawler” that gives results from Google, Yahoo and Ask.com.
Next part of this series will be on Boolean-Search 101 —or “Boo-what? How to Phrase Your Searches to Get Results."
